Playing With Fire
by NeevaIsNotKawaii
Summary: When the tragic news that Ed and Al are killed reaches Winry, she finds herself alone and helpless with no details of how it happened. Until Roy finds Winry and proposes a deal that he and Riza thinks may help Winry find closure. Eventual RoyxWinry
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1- The Deal**

* * *

Waiting. It drove her to madness, to worry, and now her worry was a reality.

Winry couldn't stand to be at home anymore. Not after knowing that she would be there, waiting on no one. The house was too empty, too quiet. Two more people taken from her. It pushed her the point of silence. She didn't talk to anyone. She wasn't even herself. Every single hope she had left in her for having a complete life with Ed and Al were killed. Right along with them…

"You need a refill?"

Winry moved her eyes up to the bartender. She hadn't even noticed that the whiskey in her glass was gone. Even though she wanted to drink herself to death, she shook her head. Drinking wasn't going to make the pain go away. "No. I think this my last." She answered, setting the glass down, and then feeling the cool condensation on her fingertips.

She looked at her cigarette and saw that most of it had burned out on its own. She had only picked up the bad habit once she heard the news. But it wasn't chronic, like an everyday thing. Only when she began to think too much…

Like what Edward and Alphonse could have done to make someone want to kill them. Edward didn't have his alchemy anymore, so she hardly thought he would have went looking for trouble. And Alphonse, he was supposed to be coming home from Xing. If that wasn't reason enough not to kill them, they were highly trained in hand to hand combat. Miss Izumi taught them, there was no way someone could have bested them so easily.

Winry lit another cigarette and took another long drag. There she went again, thinking too much into it. Her desire for revenge burnt hotter than a wildfire, but even if she had the power, she had nowhere to start. She decided that maybe learning alchemy might help, but she knew nothing about it. Winry didn't want to open a can of worms without knowing where she was going to fish.

But, even when she did find the culprit, what would she do? Freeze like when she met Scar? She wanted to pump him full of lead, kill him a million times with all the power and strength she could muster. But killing Ed and Al? There was no telling how she would react to their killer…

Roy walked in as Winry put the cigarette out. He wasn't expecting to find her here. It was strange seeing her that way, but he didn't expect anything less at the same time. Getting the report that both Edward and Alphonse were killed struck a nerve in him too. After everything they did for this country, who would dare?

"I wasn't expecting to see you here Miss Rockbell." He greeted her in a pleasant voice. He took a seat next to her and smiled over in her direction.

But her expression. It was empty. He had never imagined he would see such a vacant expression on her face. There was no light in it, no happiness like there had always been when he saw her before. To his surprise, she smiled back at him. "Colonel Mustang. Oh wait, it's General now right?"

Roy held up a hand and waved it off. "Just call me Roy."

Winry smiled and rested her head on her hand. "I'm embarrassed for you to see me this way. It's not very lady-like of me."

Roy ordered a small glass of scotch and shrugged. "Don't be. I'm not at all judging you for it." He took a swig and set the glass down on the table. "Not after…" He stopped himself. He wasn't sure if Winry wanted to talk about it.

Winry's smile fell and her more staid expression replaced it. "You don't have to avoid the topic. I'm sure you know more about it than I do." She sighed and shook her head. "I just don't understand. Who could have…"

Roy watched her a moment and sighed. "We don't know either. They're talking about letting the case go cold but—"

"You won't let them do that will you?" Winry interrupted, giving him a hopeful look. "The military has better resources than that! I know they can find something!"

Roy shook his head. "I don't know Miss Rockbell it's not as easy as—"

"It's Winry."

"Winry. Excuse me…" He corrected and cleared his throat. "The investigation has been going on for three months. And it's only gone this long because Fuhrer Grumman placed it under my jurisdiction."

Winry blinked at him. "So you're not…you're not giving up?"

He shook his head. "As long as I'm head of the investigation, we're not stopping it until we find out who had it out for those boys." He propped his elbows on the bar counter and laced them together. "We may need your help."

Winry blinked at him a moment, a bit stunned and a little confused. "My help? I don't know much more than you do."

Roy sighed. "I've been meaning to talk to you about this. I think it's a coincidence that I found you here." He released his fingers and turned to look at her. "I went by your shop but you'd closed early."

She nodded. "I had a lot on my mind. Thinking too hard about it again…"

He smirked. "Then I think you'll like my proposition." He sighed. "It took ages to convince Riza but she came around to the idea."

Winry didn't understand. What was he getting at? She didn't know anything about what happened. Besides the fact that Edward had been murdered while in Creta and Alphonse was mysteriously assassinated on a train with no one else aboard. So why was he teasing her? Like she could actually do something that would make a difference.

"What is it?"

Roy nodded and continued talking. "If I teach you flame alchemy, and you become a state alchemist…"

Winry snapped her vision to him once again, her eyes wide. Teach her flame alchemy?

"…you could help us find their killers. You would have access to anything and everything you need to figure it out. Money, housing, healthcare…you name it."

Winry leaned back in her chair. Become a state alchemist…she wasn't sure if she could. "Roy…I don't think…I don't think I can…"

Roy shook his head and grinned a bit. "You're a smart girl Winry, a strong one too. And I know…" He looked back to her. "I know what you're feeling…you want, more than anything, to have revenge…" He took another drink. "I know I do…"

Winry stopped her breathing and smirked sadly. It would seem that she wasn't the only one hit hard by the crime. "Am I that easy to figure out?" She asked rhetorically. She looked up at the ceiling. "I had my parents taken away from me by a man that helped save my country. Over time he became a friend. Yet, I'll never forgive him for what he's done, even though he's apologized and paid his respects to my parents numerous times. But Edward and Alphonse…" She shook her head, anger flashing on her expression. "There is no mercy for this person in my heart."

Roy could have sworn he saw her ocean blue eyes catch fire for a moment. He was sure there was more wrath hidden under the surface. It almost scared him. He had only known her to be a sweet, strong willed girl. Never really violent, except in the cases that Edward broke his automail. He had almost forgotten; Edward and Alphonse were pretty much her only family left, ever since her grandmother died. He couldn't imagine the pain she felt.

"Roy…"

"Hm?" He answered, still waiting for an answer.

She breathed in and out. "If I accept this offer, do you promise to let me handle things my way?"

Her way? "Well, once you're a state alchemist, you'll be placed under my command. Besides a few orders I might give you, you may deal with the situation as you please."

Winry nodded. "Alright." She turned her eyes to him. "I accept."

***(-)***

Roy and Winry had finally left the bar and decided to talk a walk around Central to discuss the circumstances and plans for Winry's training. It was snowing, a rare occurrence for Central, but they seemed not to mind.

"Your training. It begins tomorrow morning. Riza is going to train you to use firearms. She's also going to give you sniper training." Roy told her, his hands shoved in his pocket.

"If I'm going to be an alchemist, why do I need sniper and firearms training?" She asked, looking up to him through the snowfall.

"We decided that this guy must be highly trained if he was able to take out Edward and Alphonse. So, it's always good to be prepared." Roy answered. He let out another breath and continued. "After that, you'll be trained in hand to hand combat and basic alchemy with me. And once you've learned basic alchemy, we'll move on to flame alchemy."

Winry nodded and looked forward. She could see her apartment building ahead, yet she wasn't in a hurry to get home just yet. "Sounds like bittersweet work." She admitted.

He nodded. "And it is. But it will all be worth it in the end, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess it will be…" Winry answered and looked up at the near invisible sky. The dark was covered with white as the large snowflakes fell, a few caught on her eyelashes. She simply blinked them away. She wondered how far she would be pushed to her limit. Really, the only extensive physical exercise she did was moving the spare parts box in her automail shop. Sounded simple, but the scraps tended to be very heavy.

Roy checked the time once they stopped in front of Winry's apartment building, and handed her a card. "If you ever need me or Riza, call these numbers. Mine is in red, and hers in gold." He told her. "Riza needs you bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6 tomorrow morning. I've granted her leave time in order to allow for training you."

"How long is all this training going to last?" Winry asked, looking back to him and sticking the card in her pocket.

Roy raised his fingers to his chin. "I'd say about a year and a half. Depending on how well you pick things up." He grinned. "Which I'm sure will be pretty quick. You're a lot more level headed than Edward was and more perceptive than Alphonse."

Winry smiled, remembering how much fun they all had, and the promise that Edward had made her that day at the train station. Had she known that was the last time she would see him or Al, since he left later that day, she would have hugged them tighter. Maybe even begged them not to go in the first place…

"Well, I've got to get going. Remember, 6 tomorrow morning. Riza won't be very happy with you if you're late." He smiled again. "I know she isn't when I'm not. Perhaps she'll be easier on you…"

Winry shook her head. "I don't want you guys to take it easy on me. Treat me exactly like you would treat someone fresh out of basic. I don't want any special treatment." She declared.

Roy bit his tongue and nodded. "Very well. I'll let her know you said that." He turned back to the street. "I'll stop by tomorrow during your training and will be checking in every once in a while to see how it's coming along."

"Right…"

He turned back to her and waved a hand. "Until then…Miss Rockbell."

Winry smiled. "Yeah…"

She watched him walk off and then turned to the building door with a sigh. There was no turning back now. She was in this for the long run. As she opened her apartment door, then being greeted by Den, she couldn't help but doubt herself. What if she wasn't strong enough? Winry would pretty much be doing everything Ed and Al did when they were trying to get their bodies back. The stories they told her, it almost turned her stomach when she heard about it.

Having something like that in her face, she might have broken down right then and there.

She turned on the lamp by her armchair and sat down in it sideways after discarding her jacket and scarf. Den lay in front of it, as if guarding her, and went back to sleep. Winry looked down at her with a small smile. "You're all I have left now Den. How am I going to deal with myself when I lose you too?" She asked her. Den couldn't answer her of course, and merely flicked her ear in response. Winry blew out a small laugh.

Becoming a flame alchemist? How could she handle all that power? She heard stories about Roy's destructive flames in the Ishvalan War. They were terrifying to say the least, and she couldn't imagine the amount of nerve it took for him to do what he did.

Winry decided that she didn't have much of an appetite and skipped dinner altogether. It was late already, and she had to meet Riza tomorrow at the armory in the morning. She didn't know if she was dreading it or if she was excited. "What have you gotten yourself into?" She mumbled to herself. Den raised up her head to look at Winry, with a bit of question on furry face. Winry looked down to her and shrugged. "I'm talking to myself. Am I going insane?"

Den wagged her tail.

"Of course I am…"

Winry let out another breath before getting out of the chair, and ambling down the hall to her room, Den on her heels. She closed the door behind her, changed into some pajamas, and crawled under the blankets, staring up at the ceiling. It was mostly dark, the only light coming from the streetlamp outside her window. She looked to the right side of the bed, where Edward used to lay at when they were home.

_"I'm leaving tomorrow."_

_"Already? Edward you just came home. Can't you relax a little? Enjoy being home with me and Granny for just a little bit?"_

_Edward grinned and laced his fingers with hers. "You told me yourself that men that sit around and do nothing are boring right?" _

_Winry rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I didn't mean you had to be on the go all the time." She rolled over completely on her side and glued her blue eyes to his gold ones. "It's been 4 years since you actually got to come home and stay home. I'll miss you again if you leave…"_

_Edward turned to face her too and smiled, squeezing her hand a little. "Will you wait for me? Because if so, I promise you I won't be gone too long this time." _

_Winry smiled. "Yeah…I'll be here…" _

Winry sighed and rolled back over, turning her back to the spot and the memory. She didn't allow herself to lay there. It just didn't seem right.

She and Edward didn't even have a chance. She loved him. And she barely got a chance to let him know, let alone show it. And Alphonse…She closed her eyes. Becoming and alchemist would help her to find some finality. And it was going to begin tomorrow.

***(-)***

"Alright, choose a weapon. Whichever you choose is what I will train you on. In short, it will be your signature."

Winry looked around at the multitude of guns around her. She had never been around so many weapons in her life. She held a revolver once, when she first met Scar. But she hadn't been able to pull the trigger.

She looked to Riza. "Which do you prefer Miss Hawkeye?"

Riza smiled. "Just call me Riza." She shrugged. "And I like rifles over pistols. But it's ultimately your choice. Whichever you choose, I'll teach."

Winry walked around each of the tables, trying to be decisive. There were so many choices.

As she approached the last table, something caught her eye. She walked down to them and finally got a complete look at them. They seemed to be gold dual pistols. Someone had expertly customized them. "Are these…real gold?"

Riza nodded. "Yes. They're one of a kind too. There's only one pair of those in the world."

Winry picked them up. They had to be gold plated. They were way too light to be complete gold. She liked them. If they were one of a kind, then why not keep them for herself? "These." Winry declared. "These are it."

Riza drew in a breath and let it out. "Alright. Training begins now…"

* * *

**A/N: Ah well, I hope this chapter was enough to capture your interest. That being said, I would love your feedback on it. Thanks for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

It took a little more than three months for Winry to become fully trained in firearms with Riza. Needless to say, Riza was shocked; it took her years to practice it on her own…

Then again, Riza became that skilled because she had nothing better to do with her spare time before she went into the military. With her father dead, and Roy off to basic, she didn't want to just sit around. She played around with her guns. Riza didn't have a trainer. She also didn't have a purpose for learning how to become a damn good sniper.

But Winry had a motive, and a pretty good one too.

Currently, Riza and Winry were at the shooting range, so that Riza could give Winry one final test in her skills.

"On my order, fire four rounds as fast as you can. But try to hit critical spots. Understand?"

Winry nodded, her pistols raised. "Alright."

Riza waited a moment. "Fire!" She yelled.

_BangBangBangBang_!

Winry lowered them with an anxious breath. "How are they?"

Riza went out to get the target pane and came back with a very impressed expression. "One in the head, two chest shots and a knee." She turned it around to show Winry. "You've done very well. As of now, you have completed your training."

Winry took the pane from her and smiled. "Wow this is…" She never thought she would amount to anything when it came to things like this. She had progressed so much since she started. "Thank you Riza. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."

Riza smiled. "I'll let the General know about your completion and he'll start teaching you alchemy pretty soon I'm sure." She explained. "But I need to talk to you…about flame alchemy."

Winry's expression fell stern. "Alright then." She remembered Roy telling her that he had to convince Riza to allow Winry to practice flame alchemy. The woman must have been very reluctant. Winry holstered her guns after flicking on the safety and sat back down on the bench.

Riza set the target pane aside and sat on the bench opposite of Winry. "As I'm sure the General must have mentioned, I wasn't very complacent with you learning flame alchemy. It's very destructive and powerful, and it can be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands."

Winry nodded. "Yes, he did. After what I heard about the Ishvalan War, I believe it completely. But, why are you allowing him to teach me if you don't feel comfortable with it?"

Riza let out a steady breath. "I know how important Edward and Alphonse are to you. And I know you want to find their killer. If anyone deserves closure, it's you." The news didn't just hurt Winry, Riza and Roy. The entire staff, the fuhrer, all of the people they had helped out on their journey, all of them were moved and angered by their murders. "But Winry, I must ask you not to abuse that power. Once you meet that person, once you find their killer, let the military take care of the rest. Killing the culprit yourself will only turn you into a vengeful monster, and I don't want that for you…" Riza's eyes moved downcast from the memory of Roy and Envy on the Promised Day. "Just like I didn't want that for him…"

After a moment of silence, Riza looked back up. "If you have bullets in your gun, use them before you use flame alchemy. That is my request. Can you agree to those terms?"

Winry wasn't sure what she meant by "him". Maybe she was referring to Roy. She didn't know what happened, but if she needed to know, they would tell her before too long. Winry nodded her head. "You have my word."

Riza smiled again. "Good. Now let's get you back to the command center. We need to have a talk with the General."

"Right." Winry stood up and followed Riza out of the shooting range. She was a bit nervous about this talk, but she wanted to move things right along as soon as possible.

***(-)***

The talk ended up being about plans for where and how to train Winry. Roy simply tossed a book of elements at her and instructed Winry to have them memorized by tomorrow. She and Roy would be leaving out to the East in Resembool for Winry's training in two days. At first, Winry was reluctant; she hadn't been home since she found out about Ed and Al's death. She just knew it was going to be a tough transition back home. Roy was to be taking leave for about a month. He was certain it would only take that long to teach her basic alchemy. The rest would have to be done on free time once the month was up.

Winry made her way back to the shop. Since she had been training with Riza, she had her apprentice, Bridgette, to take care of things when Winry was out. Bridgette was a very able-bodied girl, with light brown hair and green eyes. She was only a year younger than Winry, and had started learning about automail a few months after Winry moved to Central. In short, Winry trusted her completely, but still checked in every once in a while.

Once back to the shop, Winry opened the door, the small bell attached to it ringing to alert Bridgette. "Bri! I'm back!" Winry yelled and shut the door behind her. "Bridgette?"

"Back here, Miss Rockbell!" Bridgette answered. "And you've got some company!"

Company? Winry didn't have many friends, besides Bridgette, and she wasn't sure if Roy and Riza counted as friends. Who could it be?

Winry went to the back room, letting her hair out of its ponytail. "It's starting to get really warm out there, we might have to start opening the…"

Once to the room, her eyes scanned the two people sitting there. She blinked a few times, to make sure what she was seeing was real. "Ling? Lan Fan? What are you doing here?"

Ling raised up a hand to wave. "Hello Winry~!"

Lan Fan smiled. "It's nice to see you again."

Winry couldn't believe who she was seeing. Ling looked so…royal. And she never thought she would see Lan Fan in such bright colors. "Likewise…" Winry breathed and sat down opposite of them. "So, how are things in Xing? I know General Mustang and General Armstrong got that train system up and running through the desert. I'm sure that comes in handy."

Ling and Lan Fan nodded together. "Trust me, it was a lot easier getting here." Ling admitted. "And things are going well. The former emperor was already gone by the time I got back. So naturally I stepped in with no problems." He explained.

"The clans are now as one, so there aren't any disputes. As for who gets the throne, it goes the eldest of the emperor's children. Everyone seemed to agree with that." Lan Fan told her.

"It'll happen as soon as the emperor's wife decides it's the right time to have them." Ling said, and looked at Lan Fan pointedly. Said woman shot him an annoyed look.

Winry looked from one to the other. "No way. You two got married?"

Lan Fan held up her left hand and blushed. Surely enough, her forefinger was decorated with a silver ring, encrusted with three purple amethysts. "It's been almost a year."

Winry smiled at them warmly. "Well congratulations."

"We're sorry we didn't invite you. There were a lot of people there, and it was very boring." Ling shrugged.

"It's fine. I was probably pretty busy with my shop anyways." Winry waved it off. "I've been teaching Bridgette for a while now." Bridgette smiled at then and gave them a small wave.

Lan Fan nodded. "She explained to us. We stopped by Resembool first before we came here but you weren't there. No one was. So we asked around and they told us you came here."

Winry leaned back in her chair. "Yeah. Granny died a few months ago. So I was there by myself until…" She fell silent. Ling and Lan Fan watched her a moment and jumped a little when she spoke again. "What brings you here? To Amestris I mean. Don't you have a country to run?"

"I don't think we need to explain do we?" Ling answered. "We heard about Ed and Al. We had to come and find out more."

"May is taking care of our country at the moment. She has everything under control." Lan Fan explained. "She wanted to come. Badly. But we needed her to stay and take care of our people."

Winry figured that's why they came. Why else would they? Leaving their home country the first time only caused them trouble. Winry thought they would try to keep their distance. But, they came for a common reason.

"I'm training with General Mustang right now so I can help out with the investigation. Lieutenant Hawkeye already trained me, and in two days I'm supposed to be leaving to learn basic alchemy and hand to hand combat skills." Winry explained. "As soon as I've learned Flame Alchemy, I'm going to become a state alchemist."

"So you're pretty much doing what Edward did to get their bodies back. Are you sure you want to do that Winry?" Lan Fan asked. She was a bit concerned. Winry being an alchemist was unbelievable. Then again, she had never felt the woman's chi like she was feeling it now. It ran so quickly and forcefully.

Winry sighed. "After Granny died, Edward and Alphonse were all I had left." She started. "I need to know what cold hearted bastard decided to take them away from me." She looked towards Lan Fan. "So yes. I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

Ling could almost feel the rage in her sentence. Who was he to tell her she couldn't? He wanted to know just as much as Winry did. Edward and Alphonse were like close brothers he never had. "Then Lan Fan and I are accompanying you on this journey. I don't wish to see you do it on your own."

Winry was about to object, but held her tongue to think about it for a moment. Maybe she would need the help. She wasn't one to think she could do things on her own. Not even Edward could do things on his own. He had Alphonse with him the whole way. She looked at them, and then nodded. "Alright. I appreciate it you two."

"We'll start as soon as you're done with your preparation." Ling said. "I have a feeling that it's going to be a moment, so we'll have to go back to Xing for the time being. Just make sure you give us a call when you're ready."

Winry smiled. "Of course."

Soon after, Ling and Lan Fan were ready to leave. Lan Fan thanked Bridgette for looking at her automail, and Ling promised to be back post-haste when Winry called. Winry smiled and waved goodbye as they left the shop.

"They were very nice." Bridgette commented, gathering her things to head home for the night. "At first I wasn't sure if I should let them in. I didn't know if they were the same ones who killed Ed and Al or not." She laughed lightly.

Winry shook her head as she locked the shop door. "They helped save the country actually. They're a very reliable pair." She smiled and started heading back to her apartment. "I'm not Lan Fan's automail mechanic, but I wish I was. Her automail is amazing; I would have loved to outfit her in something like that!"

Bridgette nodded in agreement. "I was so overjoyed when she asked me to give her maintenance." she responded. "Who is her mechanic?"

"His name is Mister Dominic. Down in Rush Valley." Winry answered. "I wanted to become his apprentice, but he turned me down. Even after I helped to birth his grandson." She tutted a bit. "But he referred me to Mister Garfiel, and that was more than I could have asked for."

Once to her apartment building, Winry waved goodbye to Bridgette, and went to her floor. Den was waiting on her, and Winry gave her an appreciative pat on the head. It had been a long day. She was ready for some dinner, a shower even.

Not even ten minutes of being home, her phone rang. "Who could that be?" She wondered out loud and answered the phone. "Hello?...Oh, Roy, what do you need?"

"Nothing really, I just thought it would be nice to invite you along to dinner Riza, Jean and myself. In celebration of the completion of your training." He answered and his voice smooth as satin.

Winry blinked at the phone and then replaced it at her ear. "Uhm right now?" She asked stupidly.

Roy grinned. "Well no. I'll be there to pick you up in about two hours. Does that sound good to you?"

Winry bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling. Was she really in the mood for it? It had been a while. She wanted to get her mind off of things. "Yes, that sounds nice."

"Great! Dress formally." Roy told her. "And I'll see you in a few."

Winry nodded as if he could hear her brain rattle. "Yeah, okay…goodbye."

She placed the phone back on the base and let out a breath. So was this something like a…date? No, he said it was a celebration dinner. But why to such a formal place? And Riza and Jean would be coming along too. Winry blew out a breath. Roy and Riza had something together for sure. The girl didn't want to be so naïve. Besides, Roy was years older than her. Winry was 20, so Roy had to be at least 15 years older than her. She shook her head and went back to her room.

Winry didn't like Roy like that at all. At least, she never thought about it that way. After a moment of thinking, she opened her closet. It went without saying that the man was handsome, and looked very young for whatever his age was. Saying that he wasn't would be a lie.

She decided on a black dress, a strapless one that stopped just below her knees. It was formal, and pretty much the only thing she had in that fashion. She laid it on the bed and went to the bathroom for a shower.

Winry began thinking about the event while she cleaned up. The only man she had ever been interested in was Edward. She was sure that if he was around now, he would be angry with her, telling her that she needed to move on in the first place. But Winry wasn't so conceited to think that Roy had those kinds of feelings towards her too. They barely had any time together to develop those feelings either. They had a few drinks together during the three month training with Riza, he made her laugh, comforted her when she got aggravated with her instruction. It was all pretty mild.

Once she was done, she pulled on the dress. It fit her figure pretty snugly. She blushed at herself. Winry had never worn something this girly. She had some black heels to go with it, and it gave an extra two inches to her height and decided to put her hair up, since it became a chore after a while when it was down. Winry didn't bother with makeup. She didn't need it, and wearing it would be unnecessary.

She turned around and looked down at Den. "So? How do I look? Well enough to go out into public right?"

Den yawned and laid his head back down on the floor.

"That boring huh?"

She looked back at herself in the mirror on her dresser and sat down in the small chair in front of it. She picked up her mascara and red lipstick. It seemed a little much for just dinner. Edward never expected her to wear stuff like this. But, this wasn't Edward taking her out. It was Roy Mustang, the most sought after man in Central.

She sighed and gave herself a determined look. "However he feels about me, it doesn't matter. I'm doing it for myself."

There was a knock on the door two hours later, sharp. Winry let out a breath and went into the living room to answer it. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor, and it took Winry a moment to get used to them.

She opened the door and smiled brightly. "Roy! Thank you for inviting me." He was wearing a black suit, with a white collared shirt and vest under the jacket. Not surprisingly, handsome as ever.

Roy looked her over a moment. It was like she was a totally different person. "It's no problem." He smiled back. "You look wonderful."

Winry blushed light pink and turned away to grab her purse. All it had in it was her keys and extra magazines for her guns, which were holstered under her dress out of sight. Riza had told her never to leave the house without them, and Winry bought the holsters straight away. "Thank you." She kept one of her lights on so she could see when she got home. The bottom of her dress flared a bit, so the outline of them wouldn't show through.

Once she shut and locked her door, Roy held out an arm for her to take. "Riza and Jean are already there waiting for us. So we should get going." He wanted to do something nice for Winry. She had it rough for a long time now, and he figured she needed to get her mind off of things.

Winry took his arm and the two headed for the elevators. "I just got home from the shop when you called. I'm sorry if I sounded like a bit of an airhead." She laughed nervously.

Roy shook his head. "I had forgotten to ask you earlier at the command center. Riza reminded me just as I was about to leave the office." He was very miffed at himself when he realized this. It was a good thing Riza remembered everything and mentioned seeing him at the dinner tonight. He nearly fell over himself going back to his desk to call Winry.

Roy opened the passenger door for Winry and nodded at her when she thanked him. She looked very pretty, and Roy couldn't help but notice how much more grown up she looked. She was always wearing her mechanic's jumpsuit when he saw her, or the black wife beater and cargo pants she wore at the ranger with Riza. She was a bit of a tomboy, not that Roy minded. He was just surprised that she could become such a lady in a few short hours, and look beautiful when she did.

Roy started driving and mentally pinched himself for thinking of her that way. Regardless if Ed was gone now, he should never cross into that territory with her. He looked over at her at a stoplight. She was so curvaceous, her skin was a nice tone of light brown, and her eyes were the deepest blue. The red lipstick set off of all these features just perfectly. Her legs were delicately crossed, staying true to her formalities.

"Uhm, Roy?"

"Hm?"

"The light…"

"Yeah…"

"It's green…"

Roy looked back to the stoplight, and then, seeing it was green and finally hearing the honking horns behind him, continued to drive.

"Right. Sorry…" He cleared his throat. He hadn't meant to stare. Surely she knew. But Roy noticed that the woman hadn't even given him a sideways glance at him the whole time. Perhaps she didn't notice. He let out a breath. Dodged a bullet, but just narrowly.

He noticed that if he advanced on her now, she could shoot him right between the eyes, as accurately as Riza could. He had certainly done the right thing by asking Riza to do that favor for him. In other words, he had to approach her carefully…

Why was he thinking this way? Winry had to be way too young for him. And she probably didn't like him that way in the first place. Roy was confident, by all means, but not that confident. Winry was a smart woman, and he was sure she could figure him out in seconds flat. He groaned.

Winry moved her eyes over to him. It had been sort of silent the whole ride so far. "Are you alright?"

"Ah? Yes I'm fine, sorry to worry you." Roy nodded and parked in a space in front of the restaurant. "We're here. Don't get out on your own. I'll get your door."

Winry took her hand off of the handle hesitantly as he closed his door. In another moment, he opened her door and held out a hand to help her out of the car. Winry took it and stepped out.

The lights around the place were so bright, and outfitted in gold lights and doorways. It looked so expensive. She was almost happy that she wasn't going to paying on this occasion. The doorman held the door open for Winry and Roy and welcomed them to the place. Roy nodded and thanked the man.

"Hey Roy! Winry! Over here!" Jean yelled and waved.

"Could you be a bit more polite and discreet Havoc? This is a formal restaurant." Roy grumbled at him as he pulled out Winry's chair. "Here you go." He said to her.

Winry smiled. "Thank you." She took a seat and smiled at Riza. "Hello Riza. You look very pretty."

Riza was wearing a red dress, a bit like Winry's, but red and it ran all the way to the floor, with a split up the side. "Thank you Winry. It's nice of you to join us."

"Where's my compliment?" Jean pouted. Roy sat down next to him and gave him an irritated look. Winry laughed at him. "You look handsome as always Jean." Winry complimented platonically. Jean smugly adjusted his tie. "I don't like to brag or anything, it's just nice when people tell me." Riza kicked him under the table and Jean rubbed the back of his head at her with a silly grin.

"Thank you for coming Winry, it's nice to see you relax for once." Riza said to her, and sipped some of her wine.

Winry picked up her own wine glass. She had never tasted wine before, and when she did drink, it was heavy stuff. She took a sip of it and waited a moment to pass judgment on it. It wasn't something she would go crazy for, but she could tolerate it. "I think I'm the one who should thank you. I've never dressed up like this before."

Roy smiled at her. "Well you look lovely."

Winry looked to him and smiled back. "Thank you." That was his second compliment of the night.

After eating, and four glasses of wine, Riza and Jean decided to leave. "We have more planned for tonight. But I had a good time." Riza told them. Roy nodded and Winry waved. "See you later Riza. I had a good time."

"I'm glad to hear it." Riza smiled. "Let's go Jean…"

Jean took Winry's hand and kissed it. "Good luck with your training, and keep a good eye on the General for us while you're gone."

Winry beamed. "Of course."

As the two left, Roy looked at his watch and then back to Winry. "I guess I should get you home then. It's getting pretty late."

Winry nodded and stood up from her chair. Roy paid the check, and let a tip for the waitress before following her out the door.

***(-)***

Once back to Winry's street, Roy found that every single parking spot in the front was taken. "My apologies, I guess I'll have to park on the next street and walk you back." Roy frowned.

Winry shook her head. "It's no problem. I walk to the shop and back every day, this shouldn't be too bad." Thought, she didn't consider what shoes she was wearing either.

Roy parked and opened her door once again to let her out. Winry grabbed her bag and thanked Roy once more for opening her door, while he expectantly waved it off. The two started down the sidewalk, completely silent and not saying a word to each other.

The wind blew a bit cold, and Winry's skin rippled into several goosebumps. She tried not to shiver, but to no avail. Roy noticed. "Are you cold?" He asked.

Winry shook her head. "No!" She lied. "I'm fine, don't worry about me." She was already on edge from the silence and lack of conversation between them. The walk seemed longer that way.

Roy grinned and took off his jacket. "You don't have to lie to me. It's no trouble at all." Winry blushed. "Right. Sorry." She smiled nervously and stopped walking so that Roy could put the jacket on. Roy was about to put the coat around her shoulders when he noticed to small tattoos, one right between her shoulders on her back, and another partially hidden by her dress and right below the first. "I didn't know you liked tattoos as well as piercings." He commented, walking back beside her and shoving his hands in his pockets.

Winry flushed again. She wished he would quit making her do so. "Oh, those…" She had almost forgotten about them. She usually did a better job of hiding them. "Ed, Al and I got those a few months after they came home." She said, squeezing the jacket around her shoulders and continuing to walk. "The first is the same symbol Ed wore on his red jacket, called a crucified serpent." She explained. "And the second is the blood seal Ed used to bond Al's soul to the armor." She looked up at the dark blue sky. "They got theirs in different places, both told me back tattoos were too girly." She laughed a bit. "I don't know what made us get them."

Roy smiled. The three of them had such a close bond. It had to be hard on her. "Surely you don't regret it?"

Winry shook her head. "Of course not. It's just…" She sighed. "They were supposed to have meaning. Ed had the serpent tattoo and Al had the blood seal tattoo. I got both because both of them meant so much to me."

Roy heeded her story and nodded. "It's a permanent mark, right?" He asked rhetorically. "Just like the tattoo is permanent, what they mean to you and what you meant to them is never erased. It remains for eternity, in life and in death."

Winry shrugged. She didn't know him to be so…wise. Not saying she thought he was stupid or anything. But what he just said, opened her eyes to the bigger picture. "I suppose you're right." She answered and looked back down to the sidewalk, gripping his jacket tightly.

Once to her building, Winry and Roy stopped to look at each other. "Once again, thank you for everything." Winry told him, looking up to him with a soft smile.

Roy smiled back. "It was my pleasure. I just wanted to make sure you had a little fun."

This was it. His chance. Just kiss her, do it now.

Winry's smile faded out. The awkward silence was back again, only this time, they were both just gazing at each other, almost expectantly. She hoped he would kiss her…No, she wanted him to just walk away…what did she want at the moment? She wanted to go inside and beat herself up for thinking of even doing such a thing with him.

Roy watched her hopefully. Maybe if she really wanted to kiss him goodnight, she would make the first move. But he couldn't let her do that right? It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of him to expect her to make the first move. That was his job. Besides, she's probably not over Edward yet.

Winry bit her lip and finally made a move. Roy's breath caught.

"Here's your jacket…" She said suddenly and held it out to him.

Roy's face flashed a disappointed frown but returned to his pleasant smile just as quickly. She was still holding the jacket out, waiting for him to take it.

He looked from her to the jacket. He closed his eyes and exhaled loudly, before grabbing the wrist that held his jacket, pulling her closer, placing the other hand on her lower back, and bending over a bit to push his lips against hers.

Winry's eyes were wide, her body froze, and her other hand clenched into a fist. Roy Mustang had just stolen a kiss from her. She blinked a moment, and after seizing the moment, began to kiss him back. His lips were so soft on hers, and her lips were warm on his. It seemed like the kiss lasted for minutes, but was broken after a few seconds.

She gazed at him with a slight smile as he threw the jacket over his shoulder, his gloved finger keeping it there. Her face flared into red and she could feel the warmth rise in her cheeks. "Uh…good night, Roy…" She turned without waiting for a response and started towards the door.

Roy gave her a prize-winning grin. "Goodnight, Miss Rockbell…"

* * *

**A/N: I was so excited writing this chapter! Please leave a review and thank you for reading ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- He Was My Alchemy Freak

* * *

Winry threw the book to the other side of the room for what seemed like the eighteenth time now. Two months. She had been studying the basics for two months now and Roy still wouldn't teach her flame alchemy. Why? Because she couldn't quite memorize the make up of a human being. Why did she need to know that?

"Throwing the book around isn't going to help you Miss Rockbell." Roy grinned, his smooth voice spilling like honey into her room.

"Don't 'Miss Rockbell' me Mustang. You know damn well why I'm throwing the book around." Winry growled and picked up the book once more, turning her eyes towards the dark haired man in her doorway.

"Well, well, well. That sounds familiar…" Roy pondered sarcastically. "A certain alchemist with that same attitude…"

Winry let out a breath, both in aggravation and amusement, a smile fought through on her face. There it was; the smile he had grown to love. "Seriously Roy, I've read over this five times now, just give me another try." The blond begged.

Roy couldn't help but smile at her. She was really eager to get the ball rolling. She was so much like Edward, but she didn't even realize it. She knew all the basics to alchemy, from the elements in the air, which was especially crucial for flame alchemy, to the bonds that make everything up. It was just surprising that she couldn't remember something as simple as the human body.

"Roy? Come on, quiz me now…" Winry snapped him out of his daze. She wanted to get it done and over with. The longer he waited to get her started, the more time she wasted not going after the suspect of Ed and Al's murders.

"It doesn't hurt to be patient Winry." He said, putting his hands in his pockets and shuffling to the stairs. "The case isn't going anywhere. I made sure of that."

Winry followed him down the stairs. "That's not the point. The point is that I want to get things started as quickly as possible. I don't want the idiot to find more time to kill more people…"

Roy stopped at the bottom of the stairs. So this wasn't just about Edward and Alphonse…

Winry stopped at the bottom stair and looked down at the brown wood. "I don't want him or her to take someone else's life away. I don't want them to feel this pain."

Roy turned around to look at her with an apologetic expression. He hadn't meant to make her feel so constricted. He just wanted her to be able to dot her 'i's and cross her 't's without hurting herself. "Winry…"

The blue connected to the black for a moment. However short the contact was, it seemed the hurt she was feeling transferred and added onto his. "Alright. Go ahead."

Winry gave him a curt nod and began reciting. Without a single pause, and without breaking their eye contact. She got them all perfectly.

Roy smiled and nodded, then turned to the living room.

"So?" Winry asked anxiously. "How did I do?"

"You're ready."

"Ready?"

Roy turned back to her, and beckoned her to follow him. "Ready to learn flame alchemy."

-(***)-

Back in Central, Riza had taken over the office in Roy's absence. She had to admit, things were a lot easier, for her at least. She didn't slack off on the paperwork that Mustang usually had to work on, so it gave her a lot of free time. She had to admit, she was more relaxed too.

That was, until Falman came in with another yellow file. Yellow files always hid either good news or bad news. Hopefully, it was good news, because Riza had been receiving nothing but dead ends since Roy left.

"We have more intel on the Elric brother case. I think you're going to like what it contains." He said, sitting them down in front of Riza.

The woman nodded at him. "Thanks Falman." She read the first page, gasped, and went on to the next.

"So? What's the juice?" Jean asked, leaning back in his chair.

"There's evidence that this case doesn't originate in Amestris. At least the suspect isn't…" Riza replied, her hazel eyes skating on the paper in front of her. "This intel says that the suspect is a man from Creta. He's the leader of a government-funded group that seeks to take back Amestris." She moved to the next page, and continued to explain. "Apparently the group has made covert trips into Amestris and killed a few government officials, the cases of which went cold. General Armstrong managed to capture one up in Briggs that attempted to kill her. I'm sure you all know how well that went for the suspect."

"Okay, so why haven't we captured the bastard in charge? And surely our border patrol in Creta is stronger than just letting a few people sneak past." Breda spoke up from his paperwork.

"He remains heavily guarded, and has the protection equal to that of the president of their country. So not even a highly skilled soldier could get past the guards." Riza blew out a breath and stood up, walking over to Roy's desk. She didn't sit there. It just didn't seem right. "But we did get information that his followers aren't exactly weaklings either. So I'm sure that factor adds into the brothers' demise." Everyone sort of thought that Edward and Alphonse were bullet proof. And to make it worse, they never even found Alphonse's body. He had a headstone, but no casket.

"So what do we do now?" Jean asked, lighting a cigarette. "Winry's still in training, and has quite a ways to go before she's finished, not to mention she has to wait another three weeks after she's scheduled to be back to take the State exam."

Riza picked up the telephone receiver and dialed a number. "We call Roy and tell him what we know. Then all we can do is wait…"

***(-)***

Winry stood over Roy, grinning with accomplishment. "That's the third time today. Surely you haven't gotten old on me just yet."

Roy wiped the blood away from the corner of his mouth and smiled up at her. "You know, I didn't train you that much yet you still manage to kick my ass right off the bat." Really, he had only taught her a few things, and she managed to stand victorious like it was nothing. Maybe he was a little out of practice. They sparred at least once or twice a day.

Winry held out her hand and helped him up. "Give me some credit. The Fullmetal Alchemist was my boyfriend for three years. Surely you knew he taught me a few things to defend myself if I ever needed to."

Roy grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat off of his forehead and chest, then ran it through his onyx air. "Yeah, but he never managed to beat me senseless like you do."

Winry licked her lips and reached for her own towel, turning away and blushing like a fool. Did he have to spar shirtless with her? Sure, it was midsummer and the air was humid today, but it was torture having her imagination wander like it did while they fought.

She didn't know it, but Roy was thinking the same thing. She wore some cargo pants, insisting that it was what she would be wearing while she was working and decided sparring in them got her used to them, and a black and white zip up half shirt. The sweat glistened on her back, the tanned skin glowing bronze, and don't even get him started on the small dimples that resided on her lower back. Some of the hair in her ponytail stuck to her body from the sweat. He whistled inaudibly and picked up his alchemy gloves. "Alright, come with me. We're going to try your flame alchemy out. Did you read over the diagram I gave you?"

Winry turned back around to him and nodded. He told her the story about Riza's back and it was all she could do not to cry. It baffled her even more that Roy had drawn the circle from memory. "Yes, I think I understand." She had sewn together her own gloves; she tried on Roy's at first but found that her hands seemed to be 50 times smaller than his. There was no way she could create a good spark with the glove being so loose. "Let me just go grab my gloves."

She stepped into the house, blowing out a breath of exhaustion. She was nervous, her hands were shaking and her stomach was in knots. Ever since she started to study flame alchemy, it worried her that she wouldn't be able to control it. This was her first time producing flames, and while that was a huge milestone in the plan, she was almost sure she would fail. Only true born people could perform alchemy. What if she wasn't one of those people?

She slipped the black gloves on (she didn't have any cream colored ignition cloth), then, after making sure the transmutation circle was correctly traced onto the cloth, headed back outside.

In the time that Winry had taken to put on her gloves, Roy had found a white button up shirt to put on, which relieved Winry. At least now she wouldn't be distracted as much. He set up a target similar to that of the ones at the shooting range in the back yard.

"Are you alright?" He asked, noticing that her body trembled a bit noticeably. He was nervous his first time using flame alchemy too. And he didn't have anyone to guide him. Master Hawkeye died before he got the chance.

Winry nodded and stood next to him. "Yes I'm fine. Let's just do this okay…"

Roy frowned and placed a gloved finger under her chin, tipping it up to look into her eyes. The mechanic blushed as she met eyes once again with the Flame Alchemist. It was as if he was trying to see past her. She steadied her breathing a bit more, and finally spoke. "W-What is it?" She asked innocently.

"You don't have to be afraid. You are a strong and smart woman. I know you can do this. You might even be better than me…" He told her, moving his finger from the smooth skin. "Now, are you ready?"

Winry nodded and looked towards the target. "I'm ready…"

He moved her sideways, her arm held up from her side. "You want to make sure you concentrate on the elements and chemicals in the air. How much of it you use will determine how much you throttle the flames." He told her. He stood behind her and placed his hand under her wrist. "Aim carefully. The direction your hand is in is the direction the flames will go. I'll teach you more about pin-point aiming later. We want to go with direct aiming right now."

She felt his body against hers, unintentionally of course, and hung onto every word. "Okay…" She had it all in her mind; the knowledge, the will-power, the determination and, most of all, the hope. "I'm ready."

He steadied her hand and stepped back. "On my order…alright?"

The blond nodded her head slowly.

"…and…snap!"

Winry held her breath as she snapped and there in front of her, a sound of static, and the flames flew out of what seemed like thin air. As if the alchemy she produced didn't stun her enough, something else shocked her. Roy's jaw dropped as he watched the flames roll.

The target caught fire, and Roy went over to dump a bucket of water on it. His breath was taken, but Winry let out the one she had been holding. Her hand dropped to her side, and her eyes were wide. She saw Roy's reaction, so she wasn't going crazy.

He looked back to her incredulously and replaced the target with another one before walking back over to her. "How did you do that?" He asked in a rushed voice.

She shook her head, her eyes still trying to take in the moment before. "I…I don't know…it just kind of…happened…"

Roy stepped back. "Do it again…"

Winry nodded, took the stance she had taken before, and snapped once more. Again, the flames shot straight for the target in front of her fingers.

He didn't understand. "Winry…your flames…" He started breathlessly.

Winry blinked at her hand and shook her head. "How did I do it? Roy, please, what is it that I do different?"

Winry's flames turned out to be blue. He was confused about the anomaly too. His flames were orange, and they always had been. "Fire gets hotter as the color gets darker." He said thoughtfully.

"It starts at orange, then goes blue." Winry said, sitting down in the green grass. "But, how could my fire possibly be hotter than yours? We studied the same alchemy." She thought for a moment. "Maybe it's the altitude?"

Roy shook his head. "I don't think so…" He aimed for a small branch that had fell from a tree and snapped, his flames orange as always.

Winry smiled. "And here I was, worrying that I wouldn't be enough…" She said quietly. "Luck must be on my side…"

Roy sat down next her and gazed at her a moment. "You're a scientist now, an alchemist. And an alchemist doesn't believe in invisible concepts like luck and miracles." He shrugged. "Of course, that's what Edward used to tell me. While I don't think that's a complete truth, I don't think it's a lie either."

Winry looked back at him. "What do you mean?"

"If you weren't meant to be an alchemist, you wouldn't have been able to produce those flames. And especially not flames of that amount of intense heat and caliber." He answered.

Winry lay back in the grass and blew out a breath. She only had a month left of all this. After she became a State Alchemist, that's when the games would begin. But she was worried. She laughed a little to herself. It seemed she was always worried that things wouldn't work out in her favor. "Perhaps I need to have a little more confidence in myself."

Roy laid back with her too and gazed up at the blue sky. Besides just training Winry, he was enjoying his time in Resembool. It was so quiet and the scenery was beautiful. He had lived in the city all his life, and he found this kind of tranquility relaxing. "A little confidence goes a long way," He remarked. "And it's that kind of confidence that the Fuhrer will look for when you take your exam."

Winry looked over to him. "You're right, but I'm only as good as I am because I had a fantastic teacher."

Roy grinned smugly and looked back at her. "And I had the privilege of instructing an excellent student."

***(-)***

Winry tossed and turned, but still couldn't fall asleep. She had no idea why. She and Roy went to bed hours ago, and she hadn't even dozed off. She finally sat up in aggravation and rubbed her eyes. This wasn't the first time she found it hard to sleep.

"Maybe some tea will do it…" She mumbled to herself, and climbed out of bed.

Once downstairs, and her cup full, she sat down at the table taking sips of the warm elixir. She felt the burn scale down her throat, and looked out the window in the backyard. She wondered if Roy had gotten any information from the Lieutenant yet. She was becoming anxious. Surely they had gotten some information in the time they had been away.

It still bothered her that they hadn't found Alphonse. Each time she thought about it, the worst cases came to mind. She hated thinking about it, and it made her sick to her stomach. Who could have been that carnal?

Den came into the kitchen, alert, but relaxed when he saw that it was Winry. He laid down in the kitchen doorway and went back to sleep. Winry smiled at him and continued to drink her tea, wondering what to do tomorrow. Maybe she could pay them all a visit; Ed, Al, Miss Trisha and Mr. Hohenheim, her mother and father, and Granny Pinako.

"That's a lot of flowers…" She mumbled. They had all been buried in the same cemetery. There were requests for Ed and Al to be buried in Central, but Winry turned that request down the minute she heard it. They needed to be with their mother and father.

"You're up late…"

Winry's head snapped to the kitchen door, and Den lifted his head to growl. But even he hadn't heard Roy approach. Winry frowned at him. "Did you have to sneak up on me like that?"

Roy held up his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He smiled and put his hands in the pockets of his pajama pants, and once again, void of a shirt. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Winry nodded silently and took another sip of tea.

Roy sat across from her and studied her a moment. "You having a hard time sleeping too?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I've been tossing and turning for hours, I just decided to get up and make some tea." She tilted her head at him. "What about you? Why are you up so late?"

"I heard you go downstairs while I was in the bathroom. At the same time I had no idea it was you, so naturally I went to check it out." He held up a hand again, this time, his gloves in view.

Winry laughed at him a little. "I don't think you'll be needing those. Unless you plan to set me on fire." She joked.

Roy took them off and grinned. "Of course not. I couldn't imagine attacking you in such a way."

Winry smiled but the smile soon disappeared. "I'm going to visit everyone tomorrow. I might need some help carrying the flowers, so would you mind going with me?"

Come to think of it, Roy hadn't managed to make his way over to the Elrics and the Rockbells to pay his respects. It was at their mention that he felt overwhelmed with guilt. "Uh, yeah. I'll go with you."

Winry nodded. "Thank you. Honestly I don't think I could do it on my own…"

Roy had often wondered what might have been between Edward and Winry had things gone the right way. They would probably have gotten married, had a few children, and lived a normal life finally. For some reason, fate had decided otherwise.

It was why he felt guilty sometimes when he thought about her the way he did. Edward was probably turning over in his grave from the thoughts he conjured up about Winry. He wasn't ashamed of them exactly, but it still felt like he was encroaching upon territory that still wasn't his. Ever since that kiss a few months ago, they hadn't made a single move based on it, let alone mention it.

Winry looked up at him. "Is something wrong? You look deep in thought."

Roy moved his deep blue eyes towards her. Should he lie? He hated lying to her. "I was just thinking about our date." He smiled.

Winry's cheeks went pink. "W-What about it?" That was a stupid question. She knew exactly what he was thinking about. That kiss. The same kiss that made her scream when she got to her apartment, the same one that set her wanting more. She tried pretending it didn't happen, hence, them never talking about it or mentioning it.

Roy shook his head. "Nevermind. It's late, and my mind is wandering." He did tend to think about strange things before he went to sleep. Like why people drive on a parkway and park in a driveway.

Winry blinked at him and then looked away. "I-I liked it. The kiss I mean…"

Roy raised an eyebrow. This was the first time she had mentioned it, and so boldly at that. "That's a good thing. I wouldn't have been able to rest comfortably knowing that you didn't like it." He smirked.

"Yeah, and I'm sure your head grew three sizes that night too…" Winry mumbled and took another swig of the tea.

"Which one are you talking about exactly…?" He mumbled back.

Winry looked up at him. "What was that?" She asked with a bit of edge in her voice.

"N-Nothing…"

Silence fell between them again, and the grandfather clock in the living room chimed, marking 2 o'clock A.M. Winry finished her tea and placed it in the sink. She caught sight of the field out the window above the sink.

_"Winry, what do you think is up there?" _

_"You mean past the sky? I don't know…what do you think?" _

_"I think there's a whole other world, with living things like us just waiting for us to explore and make our own." _

_"Edward, don't you think that's a bit selfish?" _

_"What do you mean?"_

_"It's okay to think outside the box you know. Maybe they aren't like us, and they have more advanced things. Maybe they don't have automail, and cars…they're different. And that's okay…"_

_"What about you Alphonse? What do you think?"_

_"I'm not sure brother. I think Winry has a point. Maybe they are different from us, and to think that they're exactly the same is conceited." _

_"You only agreed with Winry because you like her!"_

_"W-What? I do not! I mean—I like Winry! But not like that!" _

_"Give it a rest you two! Look at the damn clouds and shut the hell up already! _

Winry laughed a little and turned around from the window, leaning against the cabinet behind her.

"What's so funny?" Roy asked as he stood up.

Winry shook her head and smiled. "Just some childhood memories is all…"

***(-)***

As soon as Winry felt like she might be able to fall asleep, the two made their way up the stairs to bed. Winry stopped at her bedroom door, her hand on the doorknob.

Roy looked down the hall to her just as he was about to step in. "Is something wrong?"

Winry looked up to him and smiled brightly. "Yeah, no. I'm fine. Goodnight Roy…"

She didn't wait for an answer and closed the door behind her. She went over to the closet and took a breath before opening Edward's side. She shuffled though it until she found his white coat, one that he made while he was away. She always wondered what made him switch from red to white that one time. But he obviously knew that was a mistake, because he only wore it a few times before switching back to his usual red color.

She took it off the hanger and walked over to her bed with it, sitting down slowly before putting it on. She squeezed it around her and the uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach. Then, without even realizing the water was forming in her eyes, began to cry silently.

She missed Ed and Al so much sometimes it would ache. The pain would keep her awake, and sometimes the pain wouldn't even allow for tears. She would bear it for a moment before they formed up. And she couldn't imagine what May was feeling too.

Apparently she had been crying louder than she thought, because she heard her bedroom door open and Roy was standing there, with a very concerned look on his face.

"Oh…R-Roy…" She sniffed and frantically tried wiping away the tears. "I'm s-sorry if I disturbed you or anything…"

He shook his head and closed the door behind him. "You don't have to apologize. You didn't disturb me at all."

Winry shook her head and the tears continued to pour out of her eyes. This was the most she cried since when she found out they had been killed. "Why…why does it hurt this bad?" She couldn't remember feeling this suffocated when her parents died. She was hurt, but she still had other family. She had Granny, and Edward and Alphonse. Now she had no one.

Roy swallowed hard, and his heart twisted at seeing the woman, crying with Edward's jacket clenched in her hands, but mostly because of the question. Only because he wasn't quite sure what the answer was.

He walked over to stand in front of Winry, said woman looking up at him through her tears. He smiled and shook his head. "I don't know…" He held out his hand for her to take. She looked at it, and then to him before taking it and standing up. "But I do know this…"

He pulled her into a tight hug. Winry's eyes grew wide, the tears still dropping from them.

"But you aren't alone. Not as long as you have me around…"

Winry blinked a few times. It did make her feel better, to know that she did have someone else that cared about her feelings. She hadn't received much comfort from the events, but just by what he said, it made her feel better, even if it was just a little bit.

She let out a shaky breath and hugged him back, some of her tears flowing down his chest. Then, she looked up at him a moment. Roy looked back, with a small smile.

Winry managed to fight a smile through and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Thank you…"

Roy's heart dropped a little. Maybe he should…give it back? He hadn't expected that to come. He moved his lips to her cheek, but as he did so, Winry moved her own in his path, and their lips met for the second time.

The mechanic had no idea what the hell she was thinking, crying like an idiot over her dead boyfriend and best friend, then kissing the very man her boyfriend had depended on, yet hated. Her stomach felt a bit sick and she parted the kiss right away.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know what I was—"

Roy cut her off with another kiss, pulling her into it this time. He wanted more, and more of it, his hands resting on her waist and pulling her body towards his. Winry didn't pull away. Her mind was screaming at her to do so, but she couldn't find it in herself to make that action. Her hands moved up to the back of his neck and pulled him down to her, and stood on her tippy-toes.

Roy finally came to his senses and broke the kiss once again. "I-I can't…" He said, parting from her. Seeing that she had Edward's coat on made him feel even worse. "It's…it's not right…"

Winry looked down to the sleeves of the jacket. She understood immediately, and she felt guilty for putting him in that position. She let the coat slide from her shoulders and walked past him to hang it up. "You're right, I'm sorry…" She told him once again.

She went back to her bed and laid in it, her back to him. Roy took that as his cue to leave. He started towards the door and opened it. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to come get me…"

Winry didn't answer. The only thing he got was the rising and falling of her body as she breathed.

Roy sighed and walked out the door closing behind him. Winry began to cry again, and this time, she made sure not to make any sound.

The flame ambled back to his room and laid down in bed, his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. "_I'm sorry Fullmetal. But I just can't take her away from you like that…"_ Not long after, he fell into an uneasy sleep.

***(-)***

Roy woke up to the sound of his own bedroom door opening. He sat up quickly, and began fumbling for his gloves in his half-sleep haze.

"I don't think you'll be needing those…"

Winry's voice floated to him and Roy relaxed just a little. "Oh, my apologies…" He rubbed his eyes so that he could see better and blinked a few times. "What's wrong?"

Winry shook her head, the reverse of the situation appearing right before his eyes as she closed the door behind her and walked over to sit on his bed. "I can't sleep in that bed…not alone…"

Roy ran a hand through his hair. "Do you…want to stay here…with me?" It was harmless of course.

Winry nodded. "Please…"

Roy moved back the blankets and Winry crawled over to the space beside the wall, her back to Roy, and then pulled the blankets over her shoulder. Roy watched her a moment, before settling back down on the pillow and readied himself to slip back under to sleep.

But before he did so, he remembered that there were five other rooms that Winry could have chosen from to sleep in.

* * *

**A/N**: College is getting super crazy and I've had huge writer's block so I'm sorry I updated so late! I hope I ship-teased you to the fullest extent and that you enjoyed this chapter, because I enjoyed writing it! Please leave a review and thank you so so SO much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- The Phone Call

* * *

Winry woke up the next morning, feeling very warm and contained. She furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes still closed and tried to move. She froze for a moment. Whatever it was that was holding her was breathing slowly.

For a moment, her heart swelled. Was this Edward? Had finding out he was dead been just a terrible dream, and he had been holding her close this way the whole time? Alphonse was still in Xing with Mei, she was happy, and Granny would be coming in any minute now to tell them breakfast was ready.

But no, it seemed too real.

To confirm her beliefs, she reached up to where the person's head was. She usually played with Edward's hair until he woke up. If it was Edward that was holding her at the moment, then her fingers would find long, soft, golden hair. To her disappointment, it was way too short, and had a sort of heavy feel to it.

She exhaled and brought her hand back to her side. After a moment of gathering herself, she opened her eyes to find Roy. Roy Mustang? How did she happen into bed with him?

Roy stirred a bit upon feeling her hand in his hair. He instantly remembered what happened like last night, and his gut twisted in guilt. Even now he was aware that he was holding her in his arms, a little tighter than he should be, one wrapped tightly around her middle, and the other outstretched so that she could rest her head on it.

She wasn't exactly trying to pry herself away from him either. And he knew she had to be awake if she put her fingers through his hair the way she did. It was a pleasant way to wake up, no doubt about that. He liked it when women touched his hair, but there was something about the way that Winry did it that just couldn't compare to the others. "Why'd you stop?" He asked before deciding whether or not he should even speak at the moment, let alone make her aware that he was awake in the first place.

"Oh…I…sorry…" She apologized. "Do you want me to do it again?" It was strange that he would ask her such a thing. It wasn't intentional. She only meant to find Edward, not her teacher…

Roy took in a breath and let it out slowly. _Yes…_"No. That's alright." It was strange how calm they were being about waking up in the manner that they did. Roy hadn't even realized they took that position until he woke up.

Winry sat up and yawned, stretching as she did so and sighed a little after she had gotten herself woken up completely. It had been so long since she slept that way. It had been so long that she even slept comfortably at all. She looked back to Roy, who had his arm over his eyes, trying wake himself up as well. It made her heart drop as the memories of the night before came rushing into her mind. She kissed him, and he was kissing her back, until the guilt pushed him away. She felt an unsettling stab in the gut and slid out of bed as quickly as her morning haze would allow.

"I'm going to go clean up and start making breakfast." Winry told him and started towards the door. The sun settled on her skin once she reached it, with her hand on the knob, and opened it. "You drink coffee don't you?" She asked, without looking back.

Roy removed the arm from his face and sat up, his upper body still void of a shirt. The scar from a battle once fought shone dimly against his skin, and it always made Winry wince a little. It looked pretty bad, but it obviously didn't hurt him anymore. Where did it come from? "Yeah. Just black coffee is fine, thank you." He answered, his voice cracking a little.

Winry nodded and walked out the door. "Just come down when you're ready." And closed it behind her.

Roy waited until she left the room to start mentally beating himself up. "You're a damned fool Roy Mustang." He grumbled a few other insults towards himself and got out of bed to start fumbling around for one of his button up shirts.

A few moments later, Roy descended the stairs, welcomed by the smell of bacon and pancakes, and the faint scent of coffee. He found Winry in the kitchen, hard at work making breakfast. Winry looked up from the pan and pointed the spatula to the table. "Your coffee is there on the table. I didn't know how strong you like it so I went with my best guess."

"Thank you. I'm sure it's perfect." He answered with a small smile. Winry didn't return the gesture, however, and went back to frying the bacon.

He took a sip. Just like he said, perfect. Roy was a bit curious as to why Winry had been so cold to him since they woke up. Obviously the two remembered what happened last night, and it was even more obvious that Winry hadn't wanted to bring it up at all. She couldn't even make direct eye contact with him.

Once the breakfast was finished, Winry made her way over to the table to join Roy, two plates in her hand and a glass of orange juice tucked under her arm. She sat them down in their respective places, her sitting across from Roy, and began to eat.

Roy could feel the tension in her vibes, and it was eating him alive almost. What was on her mind, why was she being so closed off and distant? He moved his eyes to her, but the cerulean orbs he had been expecting to meet were studying the pancakes on her plate. "Winry…"

"Hm?"

"We need to talk about it."

"About what?"

"About last night…"

"There's nothing to talk about Roy…"

"Come on Winry, don't be difficult!" Roy growled. "You know exactly what I'm talking about and trying to hide from it is only going to make us feel worse so spill it."

Winry looked up from her plate fiercely. "You want to know what I think about it? I think I'm a terrible person, kissing someone that's almost twice my age while donning a jacket that belonged to my dead ex-boyfriend! And not only that, I was stupid enough to crawl into bed with this someone and wake up with him the next morning tangled up with him like we've been together all our lives!"

Roy jumped back a little and set his fork down. "How do you think I feel? I wasn't ready for something like that, and I shouldn't have kissed you back!" Winry blinked at him a moment while he gathered himself in a more calm manner. "I am your teacher. We shouldn't have that kind of relationship, and you obviously haven't gotten over Edward yet even if we were to have something like that."

Winry drew in a breath and continued to poke at her pancake. "You've got it all wrong..."

Roy raised his eyebrows. "Have I? Then explain, because I don't quite understand."

She moved her eyes to him again. "I've gotten over Edward, a long time ago. Because I know that if I kept mourning him the way I was, he wouldn't be happy with me." She told him. "But the memories…they just keep coming back…and I'm not that strong you know…"

Roy could see that her hands began to tremble. "I didn't know…"

Winry swallowed hard. "Kissing you just felt like a comfort to me. I know it's wrong, and it's probably not fair to use you like a security blanket. But when you kissed me back it was like…I don't know…" She fell silent and continued to eat her food without another word.

Roy returned to his breakfast after a moment of studying her. Part of him wished he hadn't broken the kiss at all, and not just because he felt bad for cutting her up like that. His intentions afterwards is what made him stop. It was like going beyond a kiss was programmed into him, and he didn't want to make her a victim of his greedy needs.

"Are you still coming with me to visit everyone?" She asked out of nowhere, and Roy looked up to find her eyes fixed on him again.

Roy nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't pass it up for the world."

***(-)***

Two months later, the two packed up their things to head back to Central. Winry would be taking her exam the next day, and she wanted some time to rest up before she went.

Once on the train, Winry sat across from him, talking about the credentials of the exam with Roy and the expectations.

"So it's really going to happen? Tomorrow…" She said quietly and looked out the window. "I'm nervous…"

Roy shrugged with a smile. "It's normal to feel that way. But you have nothing to worry about, you've had two amazing teachers."

Winry smiled back and looked back to him. An amazing teacher indeed. She never thought she would get this far, let alone finish. The final countdown began tomorrow. They only chose one alchemist every year. And since there was already a Flame Alchemist, wouldn't that lower her chances?

Winry bit her lip. She was only worrying herself, and it was wearing her down. She sunk down in her seat and gazed out the window again.

Roy looked up from his newspaper and grinned.

"What's so funny?" She asked, looking at him again.

"Nothing…you're just…"

"Just what?"

"A worry wart. It's so obvious in your expression."

Winry threw her book at him and Roy rose up a hand to block it, laughing out loud now.

"Shut up! You have nothing to worry about, you're already a State Alchemist!"

Roy's grin dropped into a thoughtful gaze. "Not completely true. I still have to have my certification every year just like everyone else."

"Don't play innocent, I know you pay under the table to get passed again…"

Roy's eyes widened. "H-Hey that's not true!"

Winry grinned and poked him with her foot. "So how much did you pay this year hum? 5 grand? Or was it 10?"

Winry knew this wasn't true; Roy was an honest alchemist, and he earned his certification. She just wanted to tease him a little.

Roy shook his head and pointed at her. "Get some rest. We won't be getting in until late tonight." He told her, trying to direct the attention off of him.

Winry smirked and closed her eyes. "Whatever you say, cheater…"

***(-)***

"So, you were trained by the Flame Alchemist and Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye?" The Fuhrer asked, while flipping through Winry's written exam. "And you've passed the written exam with flying colors."

Winry nodded. "Y-Yes, sir. Over a course of about a year and a half."

Fuhrer Grumman set the papers aside and looked down at her. "And I also understand that you were the Fullmetal Alchemist's automail engineer and girlfriend."

The arena suddenly went silent, and twenty pairs of eyes looked down at her as well, intent and waiting on her answer. Winry looked around her, a light pink blush on her cheeks and nodded. "Yes I was…" She breathed out. "What does this have to do with my alchemy?" She asked, trying to shake the blush away and get the attention directed to the task at hand.

Grumman laughed. "Of course! You're absolutely right. You may begin whenever you're ready."

There was a shuffling of papers, and two soldiers walked into the arena. One of them held out a piece of chalk. "Do you need this to draw your array?" He asked.

Winry shook her head and waved it off. "No thank you, I've got it…"

The man hesitated for a moment. "That was certainly familiar." He mumbled, frowning at the chalk and standing aside.

Winry cleared her throat and looked around. Who was she expecting to see in the crowd? A familiar face, or maybe even a smile. All of them looked so expectant, doubtful even.

She tried not to admit it to herself, but she really wished that Roy was there. It would have made her feel a lot better, maybe more confident.

Winry sighed and slipped on her gloves. She took a moment to think, held her breath…

***(-)***

Winry got a call from Riza to go to Central Command the next morning, and Winry was nearly tripping out of the bed. She hadn't been able to sleep the night through, and for the time she was awake, bit her nails down to the nub. They told her 24 hours, and that didn't seem too long, but it was an unbearable wait. She even went to the shooting range with Jean late last night.

She threw her hair up into a ponytail, shuffled on her tank top and slid on her cargo pants. She had a piece of toast in her mouth and tried tying up her boots while she scooted to the door but fell in the process.

"Ow…" She muffled and decided that maybe she should slow down…

Once she got herself together, she made haste to Roy's office, to find him and Riza at the desk, Roy with his usual grin on his face and Riza looking highly annoyed.

"I'm here!" Winry exclaimed and brushed a few hairs out of her face. She looked at his desk to find a rather large yellow envelope.

Roy smiled at her. "I was waiting until you got here to open it. It's the result of your test."

Riza smiled at Winry. "I'll leave you two to talk about it. I have to deliver a few things to the Fuhrer," As she walked past Winry she placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you did great Winry."

Winry smiled back and shrugged. "I hope you're right."

After Riza left, Winry stood in from of Roy's desk. Her breath was shaky and her hands trembled as well. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Roy nodded and picked up the envelope. "Okay then, let's see…"

He opened it up, Winry's heart rate sped up, and began to read the paper. After a moment, he smiled and handed it to her. "Congratulations Winry…"

Winry's eyes widened as she snatched the paper and read down it. She smiled and read it aloud. "By the power vested in me, Fuhrer of Amestris, I grant Winry Rockbell the certification of this great country's State Alchemist program and grant her the title of Blue Ember." Winry furrowed her eyebrows. "Blue Ember?"

Roy shrugged. "You can't be the Flame Alchemist because I'm the Flame Alchemist. So, you've got the title of The Blue Ember Alchemist."

Winry sat down in one of the chairs. "That's a mouthful isn't it? And that's the best he could come up with?" She frowned. "It's not…I don't like it…"

Roy grinned. Of all the excitement and happiness she should be feeling, she was fussing over her name. "I'm surprised. Most like the codenames given to them."

Winry placed the paper back in the envelope and saw a small brown box on Roy's desk. "That's the pocket watch isn't it?" She asked and grabbed the box. She lifted the smoother wooden lid off and, sure enough, the silver watch rested there on the purple velvet fabric. "You'll want to keep track of that." Roy said, all seriousness planted on his face again. "That's your proof."

Winry nodded and attached the chain to her belt loop, then tucked the watch into her pocket.

Roy smiled and leaned his head onto one hand. "I'm assuming you're going to refuse to wear the uniform…"

"Nope. Not a chance…"

"And you know that you are placed under my command…"

"Don't rub it in…"

"You have orders to follow now Winry…"

"Yeah yeah, as long as I get my job done, I'll do whatever you want…"

Roy stood up with a smile. "What do you say we get to work?"

***(-)***

"Are you kidding me? Why didn't you tell me you had this kind of information?"

Winry had just heard all the information concerning who might have killed Edward and Alphonse. Her face was the slightest tinge of red, and her arms and legs were crossed as if they might not unravel. "Don't you think I should be the first to know?"

"The last thing we wanted you to do was stop in the middle of your training to go dashing up to Briggs to talk to this guy." Jean told her and lit a cigarette. "You might have a more level head than Edward, but you seem like the type to act on impulse like he did."

Riza gave Jean a harsh look and then looked back to Winry, whose gaze was now in her lap. "Winry, according to this information there's a very real chance that the man responsible is still in Amestris. We have no idea what their system is in the sense of jobs, who the targets are or when the next attack will be." She told her. She then shrugged. "So, even if we had told you, there is nothing we can do but wait for more intel."

Winry thought for a moment. "You said he was captured right? Has anyone tried getting any answers from him?"

Roy shook his head. "No. He's due to be executed tomorrow afternoon. He made it clear that no one was going to get any answers out of him no matter what they did so we decided to do away with him ourselves, since Creta isn't planning to do anything to keep order with their citizens."

"My question is why they decided to come here and start stirring up trouble." Winry asked, now fixing her eyes on Roy. "We just got out of a nationwide disaster. For all they know, they probably would have been next."

Riza looked down to the floor in thought. "I've been thinking about it for a while and at my conclusion, it's pretty obvious isn't it?"

Everyone in the office looked at her confusedly. Obviously they didn't catch the drift.

"For years, we've had border wars with Creta, Aerugo and Drachma, only Drachma hasn't made a move because of Briggs." Riza started, leaning against Mustang's desk while she explained. "However, Creta and Aerugo have been waiting for just the right time to take back what they lost when the country was taking form."

As soon as she made the explanation, Winry caught on. "I get it now." Winry said with slow realization.

Seven pairs of eyes now turned towards Winry.

"When the whole country was about to be turned to Philosopher's Stones, they saw that as a weakness and perfect opportunity to take back their land. But Edward and Alphonse helped to stop that and as a result…" Winry's sentence fell. "They're trying to kill off all those who helped stop Father."

"Which means that all of us here are probably eventual targets as well." Roy finished for her and laced his fingers together once again in thought. But when? When were they planning to take them all down?

Havoc blew out some smoke. "Man, I'm starting to wonder if I should have just stayed retired."

***(-)***

"You really think that we're all eventual targets?" Winry asked Roy as they walked. He insisted on walking her home, after repeatedly telling him she didn't need him. She wondered if there was a motive behind it.

Roy shrugged, his hands stuck in the pockets of his coat. "Maybe not you, since you helped Edward and Alphonse indirectly." He told her. "But yes, there's not a doubt in my mind."

Winry looked from him to the sidewalk beneath her feet. "We can't allow that to happen." She said quietly. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep you and everyone else out of this. Right now, I just want it to be him and me."

Roy frowned at her. "Winry, you're a powerful alchemist and a great mechanic. But, that being said, you still need help. We—"

"That's not what I meant." Winry interrupted. She stopped in front of her building and looked up to him. "When the time comes, when I face him, I'll face him on my own. I want you and whoever else is along to stay out of it."

Roy sighed. "Winry…"

"Roy."

Roy looked over to her, and met a determined kind of look he had never seen etched on her face. "I mean it. Just please, stay out of it."

Roy blinked at her but smiled softly. "Fine. I'll respect your request. But remember what Riza said."

Winry shook her head. "Oh I won't be using my alchemy for him. That's way too nice for the kind of punishment he deserves."

They talked for a while before Winry decided that she should get up to her room and get some sleep. But she wasn't tired, and she didn't want to be alone. "Hey, Roy."

Roy turned around from his direction of travel. "Yes?"

Winry smiled. "Would you like to come up and have dinner with me? I'm making stew, and I always make too much. It would be nice to share it with you."

Roy looked down the road, and at the time. He wasn't doing much for the night himself. He was still too busy trying to get more information on the case, as well as small side crimes around Central. It would be nice to get his mind off of everything. He knew he would get a fire lit under his ass from Riza because he slacked off on his paperwork, but dinner and a drink would be worth it.

"Sure, I suppose I could stay for a little while." He answered and walked back to her.

Winry opened the door. "Great, I'll get right on it!"

***(-)***

"Wow Winry, you sure know your stuff!" Roy exclaimed with a smile and rubbing his stomach. "All the time we were in Resembool you never made that stuff, how come?"

Winry shrugged and placed their dishes in the sink. "I don't know. Respect I guess?" She dried her hands and went to sit next to him in the living room. "I just thought, my grandmother used to make it so well, trying to match it in our house just wouldn't be right." She smiled. "It has milk in it and Edward still ate it."

Roy grinned. "What a surprise. I never knew."

Winry leaned back on the couch. "I always wonder what he would think of me becoming a state alchemist to bring him justice. Especially the kind of alchemy I use." She looked over at the small rectangular bulletin board, which was covered in old pictures of the trio in Resembool. Of all things to leave at home, she couldn't leave the pictures. "He wasn't always that happy with you I know, nor a big fan of your alchemy. But I don't know what he was complaining about."

She slid on her glove and went over to the fireplace. "It comes in handy you know?" She snapped and the blue flames shot into the fireplace, staying blue once they licked the logs inside.

Roy shrugged. "It's a very powerful form of alchemy, and has almost no boundaries." He told her. "You know how everything goes. You and I are constantly holding back."

She sat back down next to him. "Yeah, I mean…" She looked around. "All we need is oxygen. Just a slip of the finger and we could set fire to everything around us." She groaned. "I just wish I came up with a solution to the water problem. Just my luck when I go out to start my work it will be raining."

Roy laughed but it soon faded. "Yeah I've been caught in that a few times if my memory serves me right."

Thank goodness Riza always had backup gloves. Well, almost always. The incident with Scar was a bad move on his part, and he was very grateful that she was there or the Flame Alchemist would be no more. Sometimes his ego got the best of him.

The two stared at the blue flames, now beginning to fade into orange, set in the fireplace and warming the entire apartment. They were silent, either in thought or because neither of them knew what to say.

Roy began to get hot, and he slid his uniform jacket off of his shoulders. Winry looked up from her trance and noticed, then held her hand out. "Here, I can put that on the coat rack for you." She said. He stood up and handed it to her. "Thank you."

She nodded and walked over by the front door slowly, still thinking deeply about the future. What if she never caught the guy? What if he continued killing everyone until she had no one left in her life to lean on? Sure Roy was a great alchemist, but he wasn't completely invincible. Just a few years ago he was still blind and bed ridden from the last happening.

"Roy…"

Roy turned around from the fireplace. "Hm?"

Winry turned around and looked at him from across the room. "What if we never find this guy? He's killed so many already, it's only a matter of time before he gets to you and Riza and—"

"Winry, don't worry about us." Roy answered and walked over to her. "You said you wanted to keep us out of it right? Then do it. You have to have a goal, and if that's one of them strive for it. Besides, Riza and I have been through hell and back, there's no way this is going to get us down too."

Winry sighed. "I know but…" She said quietly, but stopped herself and looked down to the floor. "I can't lose you. Any of you."

Roy understood the direction of the conversation. She was afraid not only to lose Riza and the rest of his subordinates, but Roy too. It came as no surprise, not since that one night in Resembool, but he just hadn't done enough to convince her. "Winry, look at me…"

Winry hesitantly looked up at him, the worry still lined in her face.

"Don't worry about me. Okay? You don't need to and you will never have to. I've done my job as a monster, and whatever happens to me is well deserved."

Winry shook her head. "What you did in Ishval has nothing to do with this. You've suffered enough haven't you? Your eyesight, your scars, everything on you is debt repaid."

"It might seem that way, but my debt will never be repaid." He shook his head. "But that's not the point. The point is, if something happens I had it coming. Isn't life like that anyways?"

The blonde frowned in defeat. He was right, but that didn't mean she had to like the theory he had conjured. The idea that his sins would come back and he would deserve what was done. He was forced into it, if he hadn't followed orders he wouldn't have been able to reach his goal. "I supposed…"

The Flame continued to gaze at her, until Winry had looked back to meet him. The feeling came back, and Winry's cheeks flushed pink. _Don't…don't look at me that way…_

He moved closer, his hands stretching out to rest on her hips…

_**That look like you want to kiss me again, but this one won't end like the other…**_

Winry walked closer, allowing his hands to make contact, and slowly rose up on the tip of her toes to match his height. She could feel the light breeze of his breathing now, and he could feel the heat that rose up on her cheeks.

_**I'm afraid that if you kiss me like this another time I might end up falling in love with you. And then I'll be in danger of losing you as well…just as easily as you lost him…and just as easily as I almost lost her…**_

Their lips lingered from each other's just millimeters away before they finally made contact. Winry's heart jumped, and Roy pulled her closer, squeezed her tighter.

_You say you have it coming, but I can't let anything happen to you…you can't be gone from me. I know you don't need it, but I'll protect you anyways…_

***(-)***

Roy made his final thrust into her, Winry's moans filled the room. The two began to catch their breath, Roy still over her, the sweat lingering on his forehead. His eyes were still glued to the blue ones gazing back at him, her fingers curled through his thick black hair. Winry swallowed hard closed her eyes a moment.

Roy moved his head to her shoulder, where she continued to move her fingers through his hair. Her chest rose and fell against his, and her eyes slowly opened once again.

After they had bother caught their breath, Winry finally spoke. "Roy…"

"Yes?"

"Do you think…we could keep this a secret?"

Roy lifted his head up to look at her. Normally women would roam the streets and shout it from the rooftops that they had just experienced sex with Roy Mustang. But, Winry wasn't just some woman either. "May I ask why?"

Winry blushed. She didn't mean to offend him. "It's just…can you imagine the kind of talk? That the Fullmetal Alchemist's ex-girlfriend is sleeping with his former superior and her commanding officer? That would be bad for both of us." She hated being labeled just as Edward's ex-girlfriend sometimes. She was much more than just that now, and wondered if it would wear off at all. "Not only would that be bad for me, what about becoming Fuhrer? That wouldn't be good for your reputation."

Roy thought about it for a moment and laid his head back on her chest. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." He answered. She continued to play with his hair. "But it wouldn't be the first time rumors have flown about me and my subordinates, mostly about me and Riza."

Winry raised her eyebrows. "Really? What kind of rumors?"

Roy shrugged a little. "That we go dancing on the weekends in Drachma, we're secretly married, and one of my personal favorites…"

"What's that?"

Roy looked up to her with a smug grin on his face. "That we have sex every night in the office after everyone has left our wing of the building."

Winry frowned a little. "You don't really do that do you? Because if so, you're getting out of my apartment right now."

Roy laughed a little. "No, of course not. Actually, she and Jean are secretly dating. And they have been for a while. Almost 5 years."

Winry was surprised. She was one that actually thought that Roy and Riza had something going on between them. She just didn't have enough evidence to confirm it. "Wow I didn't know that…"

He laid his head back down and she still played with his hair. "You know, you are the best at this."

Winry flushed deep red. "At what?" She asked.

"Everything. It's relaxing when you play with my hair."

Winry exhaled. "Well it's very…different." She said. "You're part Drachman right?"

"Part Xingese actually. My mother was Xingese. Lan Fan never told you?" He said. "She's my half-sister. I didn't know she existed until she and Ling came to Amestris. Lan Fan is the last child my mother had before she died and also the only girl she's ever had."

/THIS IS MY HEADCANON SHUT UP AND DEAL WITH IT/

Wow. There was a lot she was missing out on. Roy's mother must have started out pretty early. "Speaking of which, I need to call Ling and Lan Fan."

"Yeah? What for?"

"They wanted to help me with this case for Ed and Al. I was supposed to call them as soon as I got my certification."

Roy rolled off of her and laid beside her. "Well go ahead." He kissed her cheek. "I'll be here when you get back."

Winry smiled at him and slid out of bed, looking for something to cover herself up in. Since she couldn't find her clothes, she decided just to go with his button up work shirt for now. Roy whistled at her once she turned to leave the room and she blushed once again. "You look damn good in my shirt." He remarked.

Winry looked back at him. "I'll keep that in mind." She said and went into the living room.

She turned on the light since the fire had long since been out and walked over to the telephone. Just as she was about to pick up the receiver, it rang. She jumped a little and exhaled. Who could be calling this late? It was still early evening in Xing, maybe the news reached her comrades before she could call them. She picked up the receiver and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Good evening." said the voice of some unknown man. Definitely not Ling and Lan Fan. "Is this the home of Winry Rockbell?"

"Who's asking?" Winry answered cautiously.

The voice grinned. "Well, you might know me as Alex Jansen. Or, you might know me as the one who killed your beloved Edward Elric."

Winry's heart dropped, and her hand flew up to her mouth. No…it couldn't be.

"What the hell do you want!? Why would you kill them, you miserable bastard?!" Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. She didn't want to cry. She couldn't believe who she was talking to.

"Them? Oh no no sweetheart, I only killed Edward. Your Alphonse is still alive."

"…what?" Winry mumbled breathlessly. "That…that's impossible, you're lying. Alphonse is DEAD!"

"Would you like to talk to him for proof my dear? I suppose I can arouse him for you…" Alex said, Winry practically hearing the sinister smile on his face. There was silence for a moment. "Alphonse? I have a special guest on the phone for you."

Winry shook her head. This wasn't right. Alphonse couldn't be alive, he couldn't! Sure they were able to recover his body but it's been so long.

"W-Winry?"

Winry's heart sank, and the phone dropped from her hand. After getting over the shock, she bent down to pick it up. "Alphonse, is that you! Al, ANSWER ME!"

"Yes, it's me! Winry, you can't come looking for me! It's a trap!" Alphonse told her weakly. "Please, stay far away from this place!"

She couldn't keep back the tears anymore. "Don't say that! I'm coming to find you whether you like it or not! Where are you?"

"I don't know…I…can't…" There was a click and then nothing but dial tone.

"Alphonse? Alphonse please answer me…don't…" Winry dropped to the floor, the receiver still dangling from the base. "Don't leave me…I can't…"

Roy came out of the bedroom, donning only his boxers. "Winry!" He walked over to her and picked her up from the floor. "I heard the yelling, what happened?"

Winry moved her tear stained eyes up to him and shook her head. "Winry, calm down. Now tell me what is wrong." He said, shaking her slightly.

Winry swallowed hard. "Alphonse…"

"What about him?" Roy asked, his heart beginning to race.

Winry caught her breath enough to muster out the sentence. "Alphonse…he's alive."

***(-)***

Alphonse sat in the middle of a room, handcuffed to the chair he was sitting in, with a single window and a light right above where he was sitting. His bronzed hair was slightly greased from the lack of proper showering, and his skin tinted brown. His body was slightly less full, still given necessary nutrition, but still needed food to fill him out. Alex placed the phone down on the base and looked up to Alphonse. "She sounds like a beautiful girl. And a smart one too. I wonder how much more beautiful she'll be when she's covered in blood at my feet." He grinned. His brown hair shone dull under the light, yet his dark eyes seem to glow.

Alphonse struggled against his restraints. "You can't do this to her! Leave her out of it!"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh can't I? You see, she's preparing herself to come kill me. Haven't you heard?" He held up a newspaper, donning her picture and the headline "The Year's State Alchemist". He grinned and read the article. "It seems that the Blue Ember Alchemist has joined the dog pound with the goal of finding me. Very exciting news, yes?"

Alphonse scowled at him. He worried about Winry being a State Alchemist. Did she not know the repercussions of it? And what form of alchemy did she learn? "Be that as it may, she had nothing to do with the Promised Day."

"Ah, but she did. Had she not equipped your brother with automail you wouldn't have started that silly adventure to attain your bodies once more. Henceforth, not finding out about Father's plans." He told him.

"You knew the whole time?" Alphonse growled. "Don't you know that Creta might have been next?"

"Oh yes I knew, it was all part of the plan. To take back what once was ours, to take back The West Area in Amestris." Alex said, tossing the paper aside and crossing his arms. "As for my country being next, well, we already took the necessary precautions to make sure that didn't happen."

"Oh yeah? And what was that?"

Alex tutted at him. "I've already said too much. I think I've given you enough information." He stood and went to the door. "Now all we have to do is wait for your little friend to come find me." He opened it and grinned back at Alphonse, who was shooting daggers at him. "I'll be sure to give her a warm welcome."

* * *

**A/N**: So sorry that this took me so long! I had been trying to work out the plot, deciding if I should spring the plot twist on you guys now or later. And I wasn't in the smuttiest mood, hence the short cut smut scene between Roy and Winry. I tried to make it funny. Did I win? :3

College has been hindering me SEVERELY so that's why I've been sort of late. I hope the word count makes up for lost time.

Thank you so much for reading guys and reviews are very much appreciated!


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